Recipe of the Month: March 2012

Homemade Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

I promise these are so good! I will take one over a regular beef burger or turkey burger any day!

Recipe of the Month: February 2012

I've been wanting to make Baklava from scratch for a while now. I figured I'd share this recipe from allrecipes.com that has a 5-star rating. I will be sure to share my experience when I make this!

Baklava Recipe
Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Here is the link to the recipe on allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baklava/detail.aspx

Let me know if you try it or if you've ever made it from scratch and have a better recipe! I'd love to hear! Oh, and I wouldn't mind being your taste-tester either! :)

- Ashley

Just listed: 17415 Yakima Drive Unit C, Lockport, IL 60441 for $144,900

Just listed: 17415 Yakima Drive Unit C, Lockport, IL 60441 for $144,900

Recipe of the Month: January 2012

I just made this delicious and easy crockpot chicken tortilla soup today! It was very easy and had the perfect amount of spice.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil

Directions

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

I did make some changes to mine. Here's what I did differently:

• I did not cook the chicken first. I read in some of the reviews that people just put the chicken in uncooked and shredded it later. I cooked my soup on high for 3 hours and then shredded the chicken. Then I cooked it on low for another 2 hours.
• I used the hot red enchilada sauce. Since the recipe did not specify green or red, I used the spiciest and it was not too spicy at all.
• I did not cook tortilla shells. Instead, I made a side of homemade guacamole with whole grain tortilla chips and topped my soup with some raw chopped sweet onion for a little crunch.

Here is the link to the recipe on allrecipes.com website: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/detail.aspx

I'm glad to start the New Year off with some spice! I hope you try this recipe and it comes out as delicious for you as it did for me!

- Ashley